Ok, here's the reader's digest version, lol. I homeschooled my oldest son last yr. in 1st grade. This year for 2nd I put him in public school. I also put his younger brother in every other day kindergarten this year.

Over the last few months, I've decided that I REALLY want to homeschool again next year (hopefully for long term this time). I ended up getting a job every week-end night/evening to suplement my dh's cut hours at work (we REALLY need the money or I wouldn't have).

So, fast-forward to last night. I had conferences with the boy's teacher's. Again, to condense the story, BOTH boys are doing WONDERFULLY!! They are both scoring extremely high on the test's and both are making friends. Esp. my oldest son, his teacher said he's made tons of friends this year. My youngest son is on an IEP but he's doing great and he's extemely close to hitting his goals. My oldest son went from the 39th percentile in math during the fall of the year to the 92nd percentile when they tested again at the end of Jan..

Now, you can probably see my conflict by now. They are doing so well in public school, that I'm apprehensive about pulling them next year. It's not that *I* don't want to HS them and it's not that *they* don't want to be HSed, because we ALL want it. It's that I'm afraid that if I HS them they won't do as well as they are acedemically. Is it crazy to think this?? Plus, my older ds is gaining alot of confidence this year. I'm not sure if it's because of maturity or because he has to be more independant in PS???

So, to lay it on the table, my two biggest concerns are:

1. Will they go "down" acedemically if I HS them next year? I feel like obviously I was doing something "wrong" with my older ds' math if he went from being in the 39th % in the fall to a 92% this Jan. Was I failing him??

2. My older ds' confidence level. Will he lack confidence next year if I HS him or is it a maturity thing??

I would really appreciate your thoughts/insights or feedback. I'm having a difficult time with this . I almost feel like it would be an easier decision if they were doing poorly in PS, lol. How sad is THAT?!

So, fast-forward to last night. I had conferences with the boy's teacher's. Again, to condense the story, BOTH boys are doing WONDERFULLY!! They are both scoring extremely high on the test's and both are making friends. Esp. my oldest son, his teacher said he's made tons of friends this year. My youngest son is on an IEP but he's doing great and he's extemely close to hitting his goals. My oldest son went from the 39th percentile in math during the fall of the year to the 92nd percentile when they tested again at the end of Jan..

See what a good job you did preparing your dc for school?

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1. Will they go "down" acedemically if I HS them next year? I feel like obviously I was doing something "wrong" with my older ds' math if he went from being in the 39th % in the fall to a 92% this Jan. Was I failing him??

No, you weren't doing something wrong. There could be any number of reasons that your dc didn't do as well as you thought he might have at the beginning of the year, most of which have nothing to do with anything you did "wrong."

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2. My older ds' confidence level. Will he lack confidence next year if I HS him or is it a maturity thing??

It's a maturity thing. If public school were so great at building children's confidence, there wouldn't be so many damaged adults, KWIM? I know for a fact that *I* did not acquire confidence in school.

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I almost feel like it would be an easier decision if they were doing poorly in PS, lol. How sad is THAT?!

Yes, we all know that feeling.

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I really want to HS and so do they, but they seem to be doing well...

And they'll do even better at home. Take 'em out. Teach 'em at home. _________________Married to Mr. Ellie for over 30 years
Mother to 2 dds and 2 dsil
Grandmother to 1 sweet boy
Caretaker of 2 budgies

First let me say you didn't fail your kids nor would you be failing them by bringing them back home next year.

OK for your sons math scores. Those are just scores. There are two ways of looking at it and both are in your favor. First, maybe it just clicked all of a sudden. My kids where like that in some of their courses when they were younger. Just one day the light lit up and they got it. Second, the public schools teach the kids what is on the test anyway, or at least they do where I live, the teachers are graded on how the kids score on those tests. So don't stress. OK, so maybe he doesn't score in the top 3 percent, who cares, as long as he can do his math and pass his tests that is all that matters. Those tests don't really mean anything anyway and think about how many kids take them and don't even try. When I was in school there were several times when I drew pictures in the bubbles when I took the tests or if I couldn't make a picture I would mark all C's or alternate two letters. I didn't care and the faster I got done the sooner I could go outside and play. So right there I messed up the numbers. The only tests you need to worry about are his SAT's and ACT's in high school or his college entrance exam past that standardized tests are just a guide and not to be taken to seriously.

As far as confidence in your children. That, like most things, varies by child. If he is doing well and gaining confidence and you feel like it is because he is interacting with peers then I would suggest putting him in a class at the YMCA, putting him in your parks and rec sports teams, maybe boyscouts, or finding a homeschool group that does parties and field trips. I could just be, like you pointed out, a maturity thing. The older my son gets the more outgoing he gets and right now my daughter is going in reverse and getting shy as she gets older, I hope she outgrows it.

Thanks to both of you for your replies! I am still praying about this. I think as far as the testing goes, I was "blinded" by the high scores. I've woken up and realized that the scores are *just* that, scores.

The newest thing that has cropped up in my argument (with myself, lol) is my youngest son. He can be a challenge and I'm not sure how well I could educate him. He has asperger's and can be difficult in the day to day things, never mind school work, lol.

Your youngest child's difficulties is just another reason to keep him home. Who better to teach him than the person who understands his problems and has the time and patience to adapt to his learning needs?!?

The newest thing that has cropped up in my argument (with myself, lol) is my youngest son. He can be a challenge and I'm not sure how well I could educate him. He has asperger's and can be difficult in the day to day things, never mind school work, lol.

I understand what a challenge that can be, and it's a real concern.

I am confident that you *could* teach him at home; you would probably have to make many adaptations to fit his needs (and yours!). That might mean that your "school" doesn't look anything like school at all. I think the most operative word would be "flexibility."

But I couldn't fault you for considering the ramifications of teaching him at home._________________Married to Mr. Ellie for over 30 years
Mother to 2 dds and 2 dsil
Grandmother to 1 sweet boy
Caretaker of 2 budgies